We went into town for some groceries yesterday. The grocery store is a local chain called Fry's. It has simply everything, much like the Wegman's in the North and what Harris Teeter attempts in the South. One difference is that they employ enough people to do it right. We always look for the power carts when we shop and are used to finding a row of them not working or no carts at all. WallMart is particularly bad for carts, but most places are not much better. Fry's is different. They have carts at the ready and they all work and they have an attendant who gets it ready and hands it over. After checkout, the bagger accompanies us to the parking spot and drives the cart back to the store. I don't know how Fry's prices compare with the other outlets in the area but the customer service is just great.
We take route 69 into town. We're about 20 miles from Prescott, but the Prescott area is expanding toward us through a suburb called Prescott Valley. It has all of the big box stores and most of the small stuff, too. So town keeps getting closer. Driving out here is a little different. The traffic is dense but then, it is in a lot of areas. But here, at least in Prescott Valley, you don't speed. The main road into town is a 55 zone that slows to 45 when you hit the shops. If you get off the main route to travel the side streets, the speed limit slows to 25. And they mean it! There are traffic cameras everywhere waiting to snap your picture if you transgress and send you a nastygram with a high dollar fine. They have mobile camera units deployed about the area as well. And there's no grace. The limit is the limit. So all the time we're driving I'm watching the speedometer like a hawk and trying to watch the traffic at the same time while I'm trying to find my way around.
The main roads are in good shape but we're staying in an area off route169 that might be called a rural development. Just off the road is a community called White Horse Ranch. There are maybe 100 homes each on several acres of land, most with corrals and horses. The roads don't seem to have been laid out with any logic or plan. We drive through to an area above and beyond to get home. And the whole thing is dirt road. Washboarded and rutted and rocky. The speed limit is 25 but we do about 15 or so to keep the dust down and try to spare the vehicles. We're about a mile and half off the main highway so it takes a bit of time going in and out. Not uncommon to find auto parts lying along the road. There has been some talk about getting the road improved but no real plan and a lot of fear that better road will just increase speeding.
There is no mail delivery here so my cousin has a box in the next town over for mail. UPS seems to know their way around and I see the big brown truck often. I haven't yet seen a FedEx truck.
Water is from wells but many are not sufficient to the need so many people drive to town to fill up large tanks for utility water. It costs about 50 cents for 50 gallons. Everybody drives around with bottles of drinking water in the car. Although water is scarce, the area manages to keep a half dozen golf courses going.
I was a little surprised that there is so little Western wear in evidence. I kind of expected a lot of boots and hats and Western shirts like we had seen in Nashville. There is some, but for the most part it looks like New York or North Carolina. Not a lot of Western clothing shops, no Western clothing in the thrift shops. No accent in the speech, either. And I've seen more Mexican Restaurants in Burlington than I've seen here.
The taxes are high. Land tax in Prescott is the highest in the state, even more than Phoenix. Maybe because it's a very popular retirement destination. Sales tax in Prescott is a little over 9%. In Sedona, it's 10.35%.
Oh well, enough rambling for today. I just thought I'd give a glimpse of daily life rather than just the tourist stuff. Everybody have a safe and fun Memorial weekend.
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